First Kisan Train begins operation

The first Kisan Special Parcel Train carrying fruits and vegetables between Maharashtra and Bihar started its operation on Friday from Devlali near Nasik in Maharashtra.

Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar and Railway Minister Piyush Goyal flagged off the train via video conference.

Minister of State for Railways Suresh Angadi, Opposition Leader in Maharashtra Legislative Assembly Devendra Fadnavis, Maharashtra Agriculture Minister Chagan Bhujabal also joined the event through video conference.

The first Kisan Rail started from Devlali near Nasik to Danapur near Patna on August 7 at 11 am. The train will reach Danapur at 6.45 pm on the next day, covering 1,519 km in 31.45 hours, the statement it said.

The same train will return from Danapur at noon on Sunday and reach Devlali at 7.45am on Monday. The parcel trains will have a composition of 10 +1 coaches.

The train will run on weekly basis. There will be at least 14 stoppages on this route, from Nasik Road to Bhusawal to Jabalpur and Buksar. The Railways is also open to increasing the number of stoppages upon farmer demand, a Railways official said.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had announced this initiative in her Budget speech earlier this year envisaging setting up of a 'Kisan Rail' through the public-private-partnership (PPP) mode for a cold supply chain to transport perishable goods.

Though the proposal to use refrigerated parcel vans to ferry perishables was first announced by then railway minister Mamata Banerjee in the 2009-10 Budget, it failed to take off.

This special parcel train operated by the Bhusaval division of Central Railways.
Bhusawal Division is primarily an agro-based division and Nasik and the surrounding region produce huge quantities of fresh vegetables, fruits, flowers, other perishables, onions and other agro products.

These perishables are mainly transported to areas around Patna, Allahabad, Katni, Satna and others.

"Aggressive marketing is being done with local farmers, loaders, APMC and individuals" said the statement said.

The railways so far commissioned temperature-controlled perishable cargo centres at Ghazipur Ghat (UP), New Azadpur (Adarsh Nagar, Delhi) and Raja ka Talab (UP) as a pilot project under the Kisan Vision Project by Container Corporation of India Limited (CONCOR) through a CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) initiative. Another project is under construction at Lasalgaon in Maharashtra's Nasik.